Safe and Sound
by munrochambers4ever
Summary: The walls of Ba Sing Se are crumbling down. Zuko will do anything to protect Jet. They aren't going to win. *Based off the song.*


**Author's Note: **Based off Safe and Sound by Sam Tsui. Written very quickly while under the influence. I'm just throwing it into the world because the song reminded me of Zuko. Sorry it was written so poorly, but feel free to tell me if you like the idea and maybe I'll redo it in the future.

* * *

The walls of Ba Sing Se were crumbling down.

Zuko stood at the edge of the lake, watching the great wall protecting the city fall to the ground in dust. It took a split second of fear and panic to set in before he was fighting his way under the lake, desperate to get to Jet's cell.

He had heard from Smellerbee and Longshot what happened to Jet, and while the entire world was falling down around him, he was going to save Jet. No matter what it took.

When he found him, he was face up on the concrete, familiar faces around him. Zuko spotted the Avatar in the crowd, but for the first time in his three years of exile, he couldn't find it in him to care. Not when Jet was lying there so helpless and limp. He made his way into the room and the Avatar gasped, taking a fighting stance with his glider.

Zuko put his hands up. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for him." He nodded towards Jet.

The Watertribe girl took a defensive stance of Jet. "What do you mean, here for him?"

"Let me save him. The walls are crumbling down outside - you should get out of here, and let me get _him_ out of here."

"Why should we trust you with him?"

Zuko was going to answer her, but Jet croaked behind her, "Li?"

The sound of his voice had him pushing past the Avatar and Watertribe girl - he's pretty sure the relief that pulsed through him upon hearing Jet's voice could have pushed him past his own death - falling to his knees in front of Jet. He touched his hair. "Jet, I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? I'm gonna make you safe."

"Okay." Jet was too weak to do anything _but_ agree. Zuko slipped his arms under Jet's leg and lower back. He stood to his feet, cradling Jet against him. "Get out of here," he instructed the Avatar. "I'll keep him safe. I'll die for him."

The girl wanted to protest, but the Avatar grabbed her arm, nodding for them to leave. "We'll help you get him to surface."

There were too many questions to be answered right now; he could see it in everyone's faces - how did he get to Ba Sing Se? How long had he been here? How did he know Jet? Why did Jet trust him? Zuko wasn't sure of half these answered, but there wasn't any time to explain. Jet was his top priority.

"Thank you." Zuko nodded, holding Jet close to him. He could feel Jet's life in his hands and regretted every moment they were together that he wasn't telling Jet how much he loved him.

The group of kids protected him until the surface, when Zuko forced them to leave. The Avatar thanked him, but the girl looked fearful for Jet.

It was easy to get Jet to his apartment because soldiers hadn't started ambushing the city. But once he was inside, he could heard the chaos front outside. He could smell the flesh and houses burning. He covered Jet up, desperate to keep him safe and alive. "Hey, you're gonna be okay, I promise." Zuko touched Jet's hair again, feeling his heartbeat slow.

"Thanks, Li," Jet managed to smile at him, holding his hand against his chest.

Then soldiers busted down Zuko's door, storming in. One of them noticed who Zuko really was and the fight broke out.

Zuko had never been the best firebender, and he was outnumbered. Had it been just himself he was protecting, he would have lost the fight after mere seconds. But it was Jet's life he was protecting, and the serge of energy and adrenaline forced the fire out of his hands faster and hotter and he took out at least ten soldiers, but there was always more. Jet lied on the couch behind him, unable to express his shock or disgust of seeing Zuko firebend.

Anger and fear and panic is what kept him still fighting, but there was no way he was going to win. His house was burning down, smoke filling the room. He was able to bend the heat in the smoke - and since when could he do _that_? - into thicker smoke, blinding the soldiers momentarily. He used his time to scoop Jet up, slinging him on his back and escaping out of the window.

He climb onto the roof and he felt Jet purr against his neck - heights were safe, no one ever looked up - Jet had told Zuko that a million times, but as he ran across the roof and saw all the fires, all the smoke, the dust from the walls breaking apart; hearing screams and cries of victims, children, families. It was the apocalypse. And Zuko wasn't able to get Jet out. Not when he was injured, not when Zuko was just one person.

No. He was going to lose.

Zuko jumped from one roof to another, holding Jet securely on his back, but he tumbled and fell, Jet flying forward. This roof was hidden by a tree and Jet had fallen under the shadow. Zuko crawled over to him, bending over him, as if he could protect him from the world ending around them. There was a constant buzz of danger and death and Zuko knew he was facing the end. He could hear soldiers in the building below him. They weren't making it out of this.

Jet grunted and Zuko wiped sweat from his forehead. "I'm sorry, Jet. I can't do it. I can't get you out of here."

"Then go," Jet whispered, like it was the obvious solution, like Zuko was an idiot for not doing it already.

"I'm not leaving you. If we go, we go together."

"I know who you are," Jet breathed. "I've known for a while."

"What do you mean?" Zuko curled himself over Jet more, not just to hear him, but to protect him the best he could. Jet coughed a little and it felt thick and wet. He was fading quickly.

"Longshot and I wanted to be guards at Full Moon Bay and during one of our training sessions, he found a wanted poster of you. I can't read, but I had someone tell me what it said. You're Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Zuko nodded in shame. What did the term prince even mean anymore? "Do you hate me?"

"At first, I did," Jet opened his eyes enough to look at Zuko. A weak hand found its way to Zuko's cheek, caressing it. The touch was so gentle, it didn't seem real. "I was sick and furious - I had slept with you, I had _loved_ you and you lied to me. You were the very thing I dreamt of killing. But then that fucking Dai Lee Earthbender did this to me and I thought I was going to die in minutes, and the only thing I wanted to do was tell you I love you. You're the son of the Firelord and you're trying to save my life. I know it's not going to work. I know I'm going to die, Zuko. But you're not giving up on me. No one's ever done that before."

Zuko felt the tears well up and spill over, he clutched Jet's hand, sobbing above him. He heard the soldiers get closer, felt more heat and smoke and the tree started to burn that they were hiding under. Zuko had a million things to say to Jet, had a millions lives to live with Jet and he couldn't. He had seconds to sum it all up.

He touched Jet's face. "Shut your eyes, " he whispered. Jet complied. "Picture your family, how happy you guys were. How proud they must be of you. Look at the man you've become. Strong, loyal, beautiful. Everything's going to be okay, Jet. It's all going to be okay. We'll be okay. Just go to sleep - it'll look better in the morning."

"Liar." His words were slurred.

Zuko clutched his hand tighter, like he could give some of his life to Jet to keep him alive longer. "I'm right here. Just go to sleep. I love you."

Jet listened to his voice, comforting even with the chaos around them. He shut his eyes, started drifting off. Jet wasn't stupid, but with Zuko holding his hand like that, he started to believe him. Maybe they'd turn out okay.

The soldiers busted through the roof just as Jet's hand fell from Zuko's. Panic and greif and overcame Zuko. He stood, fighting. The roof was set ablaze under him from a fallen tree branch. Fire was swallowing him up, and he bended it around him, took soldiers with him. He himself was lit on fire, burning alive, but it didn't register. He fought, anger throwing fire out of his hands and feet and screaming fire into soldier's faces.

Until he couldn't any longer. Until he was flat on his stomach, watching fires burn around Zuko and Jet's lifeless body. He smelled his own flesh burning, and Jet's as well. It was over.

Zuko crawled forward the best he could, laid next to Jet, clutching his burnt clothes, his burnt body. Everything was going to be okay, if he stayed right here. He knew he was dying - knew Jet was dead - but some how, dying together, Zuko felt safe and sound.


End file.
